Over 2,100 children diagnosed with HIV in Pakistan in last 15 months

More than 2,100 children were diagnosed with HIV in Pakistan between January 2025 and March 2026, with Sindh reporting by far the highest number of cases, followed by Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Citing official data compiled by federal and provincial authorities, a media report said that a total of 2,108 children — including 1,274 boys and 834 girls — were registered as HIV positive during the 15-month period.

Sindh accounted for the largest share of cases, with 1,515 children diagnosed, including 923 boys and 592 girls. Of these, 1,186 cases were recorded in 2025, while another 329 — including 188 boys and 141 girls — were reported in the first three months of 2026, making the province the main contributor to the country’s paediatric HIV burden.

Punjab ranked second, with 418 child cases recorded in 2025, including 247 boys and 171 girls. However, no cases were listed for the January–March 2026 period in the available data.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 111 cases during the same period, including 90 in 2025 — 52 boys and 38 girls — and a further 21 cases in early 2026, comprising 14 boys and seven girls.

In Balochistan, 38 children were registered as HIV positive over the 15 months, including 20 boys and 18 girls. The province reported 33 cases in 2025 and five more in the first quarter of 2026.

Islamabad recorded 22 cases, with 17 reported in 2025 and five additional cases in early 2026, including 14 boys and eight girls overall.

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, three cases — all boys — were reported in 2025, while Gilgit-Baltistan recorded a single case, also a boy. No new infections were listed for either region in the first three months of 2026.